Sumter County, FL Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Sumter County's overgrowth rule sits inside the Nuisance Abatement Ordinance, Ord. No. 95-7 of 1995, codified at §§ 6-101 through 6-112 and applicable only in the unincorporated area under § 6-112. Section 6-103 defines Overgrowth as any herbaceous or woody plant life over 24 inches high on residential or commercially classified land in developed subdivisions, whether platted or not, on parcels under one acre, and specifically excludes agricultural lands in rural areas. Section 6-104(5) then makes that same overgrowth, on residential or commercially classified land generally, a prima facie nuisance, again carving out rural agricultural land.

When the county's administrative officer identifies overgrown vegetation past the 24-inch threshold, § 6-105 requires written notice sent by certified mail and posted on the property, describing the condition and the deadline to cut it back or remove it, and gives the property owner a chance to show the growth has already been abated. Owners who disagree with the notice may appeal to the Board of County Commissioners within 20 days under § 6-106. If the owner never mows or clears the lot, § 6-107 lets the county perform the work itself, and § 6-108 turns the actual mowing and removal cost into a recorded, published special assessment lien against the property, which under § 6-109 draws interest at 8 percent for the first year and 6 percent after that until paid.